Nowadays, there are many restaurant and shops that focuses on making “photogenic” food or desserts. I wonder sometimes if the flavor suffers, by putting too much focus on how they look… Anyways, I saw this dessert place that had very pretty dessert, and I finally made it. This is a gelato spot, not ice cream. If you are wondering what the difference is between the two, here is the quick and short answer. Gelato has less sugar content, less fat, but yet it is creamier and richer than ice cream. So you can have gelato with just a little less guilt than ice cream.

When we walked in to the location in Theater District, even though there were several people in line, not many people were sitting in the inside. About the time we got our gelato, it was nearly full. Luckily, people don’t need long time to have gelato, so we were able to grab a table quickly.

So, the process of getting your gelato (or other desserts and drinks) are pretty simple. You go to the register and order what you want, and then follow the line and choose your flavor(s). We wanted their signature gelato macaron, so that is what we asked. It came in a medium cone ($6.45) plus macaron ($2.35).

After that, move along the line, where you get to see other sweets they have first, then macarons. One of the staffs working behind the showcase windows will ask for your receipt, and then ask you what flavor you want at this point.

They have many flavors of gelato and sorbet, so if you don’t know exactly what flavors they have, or need extra time to decide, do not get in the line until you know what you want. It is a fast moving line (or they try to be), so if you are standing there without letting know what flavors you want, they will not be happy… The awesome thing about Amorino is that you can choose as many or as little flavors as you want, no matter the size!

For me, I got a strawberry and mango sorbet with raspberry macaron. They shaped the sorbets into flower pedals, so cute!!! It was pretty looking and pretty good size, and it should be for about $9 cone.

My friend asked for a tasting of mango, and he was raving about it, so I got the mango. And then, I picked something pink because I figured that will look good for the photo. Here is the part where you choose the flavor based on flavor, or looks. Luckily, their sorbets were amazing. Strawberries were great, velvety, and taste like real strawberry. Mango was even more amazing, it is nothing like some kind of icee thing with mango “flavoring” of any kind. It tasted more like mango puree, which was amazing! The macaron was nice, but not really necessary other than for the looks. They had sorbet right in the middle, under the macaron, which I appreciated.

My hubby chose based on flavors he wanted instead of how it will look. He went with pistachio gelato and their signature flavor, hazelnut gelato, topped off with pistachio macaron. It didn’t look pretty as a flower gelato…and not so appetizing color combination, but it was super delicious. Great pistachio flavor, and it went really nicely with hazelnut flavor. It was creamy, velvety, and heavenly.

I am glad I finally got to have their gelato and sorbet that are both delicious and photogenic. With so many delicious sounding flavors, I would love to go back and try more of them. And now that I got the photos, I can go there strictly for the flavors!

Amorino – 721 8th Ave, New York, NY 10036